chicks scratching and pulling at food

[AEJEfarm]

Hi All, im giving my 5 chicks Manna pro medicated feed. I use a steel feed tray with an upside-down ball jar that auto feeds. I noticed recently that the chicks were furiously scratching at the food in the feeder and pecking at it until it has all fallen onto the floor of the brooder. They are a week old now. is this just chicks being silly or are they trying to tell me something about their food or enclosure? just making sure. Otherwise they are happy, healthy and active.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Completely normal and you'll be pulling your hair out by all the wasted feed when they reach adolescents. This is why many change over to pellet type feed as soon as the birds are large enough to eat it. It saves a lot of money by lessening the waste. The trick is you can't get pellet feed for non layers so you go for an all flock type feed. Turkey gambird finisher is one such feed. It has everything all poultry need without the added calcium added for laying hens. Normal feed is 1% calcium, layer feed 3%. This higher calcium is no good for growing birds and really shouldn't be fed to molting or brooding birds. Lets face it, layer feed is easy but easily taken off the menu with a all flock. With separate dish or tossing few handfuls on the ground each week supply the calcium with oyster shells. By doing this it's free choice if the birds will consume a lot of it. Laying birds will eat a lot of it and all others merely peck a bit. Problem solved and every age bird is on same feed. When you have more chicks move everyone over to non medicated chick starter. When the youngest birds are 10-12 weeks and big enough move everyone over to a pellet all flock type feed. Again, turkey finisher is stocked everywhere, usually 18-20% protein. Perfect all flock feed in pellet form.

 

[Jensownzoo]

You can add water to the feed and give it in one of those trough-style feeders to prevent waste. It won't affect the medication. Just put in what they will consume in roughly 1/2 a day and feed am/pm.